Jealousy mediates the relationship between attractiveness comparison and females' indirect aggression

Abstract

Indirect aggression is considered an evolutionarily adaptive mechanism that can improve female mating success. It has been hypothesized that indirect aggression toward romantic partners and peers is used more frequently by females who make appearance-based comparisons and that these relationships are mediated by jealousy. Females (N = 528) currently in romantic relationships were surveyed. Results confirmed females who made more frequent appearance comparisons aggressed more often toward partners and peers. Low-comparing females reported being more frequent targets of peer indirect aggression. Jealousy partially mediated the relationships between making frequent attractiveness comparisons and indirect aggression. Results are discussed as effort allocated toward deterring partner defection and fending off rivals, and the role of emotion as a motivational influence for aggression.

Gender Profiles of Workplace Individual and Organizational Deviance

“…The gender differences found in the core profiles are consistent with the past research findings pointing to lesser direct aggression among women compared to men (e.g., Arnocky, Sunderani, Miller, & Vaillancourt, 2012;Bjorkqvist et al, 1994;Card, Stucky, Sawalani, & Little, 2008;Cross, Copping, & Campbell, 2011). However, none of the previous studies has reported all these gender differences appearing in ID and OD measurement altogether as shown in the current study.…”

Envy Mediates the Link Between Social Comparison and Appearance Enhancement in Women

“…We predicted that dispositional envy would mediate the link between women's tendency to make physical appearance comparisons and several appearance enhancement behaviors: money spent on appearance enhancement products (Prediction 1), tanning intentions (Prediction 2), and desire to lose weight (Prediction 3). We anticipated these findings would remain in light of controlling for women's self-perceived mate-value, which might simultaneously influence women's intrasexually competitive behaviors (see Arnocky et al 2012), and age, which has been linked to dispositional envy (Lange and Crusias 2015).…”

Cosmetic Surgery as Intrasexual Competition: The Mediating Role of Social Comparison

“…Common among these potential explanations is the understanding that cosmetic surgery is undertaken in order to improve aspects of one's physical appearance-a domain that is inherently relevant to mate selection and intrasexual competition (e.g., Arnocky, Sunderani, Miller, & Vaillancourt, 2012;Sunderani, Arnocky, & Vaillancourt, 2013). However, to date, little research has explored the potential ultimate factors associated with cosmetic surgery.…”